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Indian man guilty of enticing minor for sex in Florida
Kirtan Patel now faces a minimum sentence of 10 years and could get life in federal prison.
Stock image. / Pexels
Kirtan Patel, a 24-year-old Indian national, has pleaded guilty to charges of attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity, according to US Attorney Roger B Handberg.
Patel now faces a minimum sentence of 10 years and could be sentenced to life in federal prison. A date for sentencing has yet to be determined.
The plea agreement reveals that between May.22 and May.24, 2024, Patel engaged in online communications with someone he believed to be a 13-year-old girl. In reality, the individual was an undercover special agent from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
During these exchanges, Patel participated in sexually explicit conversations with the agent. His arrest occurred when he traveled to a designated location in Florida’s Marion County, intending to engage in sexual activity with the supposed minor.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations in collaboration with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the increasing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
The initiative, led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), aims to marshal federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as to identify and rescue victims.
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